Fourth-grade students at Merion and Gladwyne elementary schools recently welcomed a special guest—Eva Baen, a time-traveling storyteller from the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History—as part of the educational program Becoming American: Jewish Immigration in the Early 20th Century.

Eva Baen—born Chava Brucha in Korelichi, a small town in what is now Belarus—was a real person. The character students met is based on her actual life. Her personal journey, along with replica artifacts from her story, helps students explore the broader experience of Jewish immigration to the United States during the early 1900s.

Some weeks earlier, students participated in the first part of the program with a museum educator. During that session, they examined replicas of historical objects from the museum’s collection to investigate Eva’s story and gain insights into the immigrant experience.

In the second part of the program, “Eva” brought her story to life, speaking to students about the challenges she and other immigrants faced: leaving their homeland, adjusting to a new culture, preserving their identity and building a new life in America.

The Becoming American program fosters empathy and deepens students' understanding of the immigrant experience by connecting personal histories to larger conversations about identity and belonging. These engaging assemblies were part of a new residency partnership between the museum and Lower Merion School District—a collaboration that ensures students across the District have opportunities to learn about and appreciate Jewish-American history. Fourth graders at all six District elementary schools will participate in the program.

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